Lobbying Government
This blog entry is about how wildlife control operators WCOs should be lobbying government.
Lobbying government? Yes, I am arguing that WCOs should be spending at least a portion of their time lobbying state representatives and agency personnel. The fact is
animal rights protest industry activists are constantly lobbying government officials to ban this method or restrict that tool. Year after year, they are writing letters, attending wildlife board meetings and lobbying state officials in an attempt to “protect animals”. In the meantime, WCOs are out doing their work ignoring the effects of animal activists working behind the scenes trying to get their agenda made into policy and/or law. It seems to me that WCOs only act when something has entered committee or when signatures are being collected for a ballot campaign. While I certainly commend that needed effort, it is short sighted.
Think Long Term
WCOs need to stop playing defense. We need to get into the politics game and begin flexing our political muscle if for nothing more than to make the animal rights protest industry waste effort fighting us. Animal activists have been fighting for decades because they know it takes time to make policy changes. WCOs need to stop thinking short term and think long term. What do you want your industry to look like in 40 years? Can you plan that far ahead? The antis do.
Take Action
What actions should WCOs take when lobbying government?
- Join a national association. Numbers matter when an association lobbies on your behalf.
- Join or create a state association. National organizations can’t do everything. Politics is local you need to get in the local fight.
- Watch your language. Do not use terms that reinforce the ideology of the animal rights movement.
- Educate your clients. Be sure your brochures explain to your clients why the tools you use are needed to help keep costs down and protect your client’s property and well being.
- Lobby government.
- Invite your game warden to ride along with you.
- Tell your state representative what you do for work and why it’s important. Better yet, visit him/her.
- Tell your associations to spend more time lobbying. WCO associations do great on training but need to put more resources on lobbying.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Cholecalciferol Rodenticide
With the passing of “California Ecosystems Protection Act of 2020”, the public will likely be hearing a lot more about a toxicant called Cholecalciferol rodenticide. Cholecalciferol rodenticide is vitamin D3 and as such is a non-anticoagulant toxic bait. It is one of the few rodenticide active ingredients that wasn’t banned in California’s sweeping Ecosystems Protection Act of 2020. You may think that California banned all rodenticides but that would be false. California’s ban focused on a group of rodenticides known as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). Even though California did severely restrict SGARs, the law did have several exemptions that allowed SGARs to be used in certain limited circumstances. Nevertheless, the law was a sweeping one and if the review process confirms that SGARs should remain banned, Californians will have to use alternative rodenticides and methods to manage rodents. Cholecalciferol is one of those rodenticides that will be tasked to fill the gap left by SGARs.
What is Cholecalciferol Rodenticide?
Cholecalciferol is a rodenticide which kills rodents by causing too much calcium to circulate in their system. Calcium is carefully regulated in animals and changes of in calcium levels of only 10 to 15% can cause life-threatening changes in the animal’s bodily system.
Is Cholecalciferol Rodenticide Effective?
The LD50 for Norway rats is 42.65 mg/kg and 43.6 for house mice. Rodents receiving a lethal dose typically die within 3.5 and 10.2 days. House mice and Norway rats typically die sooner than roof rats. Of course, the toxicant can kill other animals that are directly exposed to the toxicant, a phenomenon called non-target primary poisoning.
Is Cholecalciferol Safer than SGARs?
While no rodenticide can be considered safe, it does appear that cholecalciferol is safer than SGARs in regards to secondary poisoning scenarios. For example, house cats appear to be resistant to this toxicant so if safety for cats is a high priority, this toxicant would make a good choice. The verdict is a little more mixed for domestic dogs as they appear to be more sensitive to the rodenticide’s toxic effects. In addition, cholecalciferol is less toxic to birds which is a also a plus.
Please note that even though cholecalciferol can be used on organic farms, the chemical can kill. Too often people think that just because something is organic that it must be safe. Nothing could be further from the truth. All rodenticides pose risks. The level of risk depends on a variety of factors. Always treat rodenticides as dangerous and follow label instructions religiously.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Zinc Phosphide Treated Oats
Zinc phosphide treated oats is one of the most common agricultural rodenticides available. Zinc phosphide is an acute toxicant that kills a rodent within 12- to 24-hours of ingesting it. Upon ingestion, the zinc phosphide meets the rodent’s stomach acids liberating phosphine gas.
Phosphine gas is the same active ingredient found in aluminum phosphide pellets/tablets used to control insects in grain bins. The exact way phosphine gas kills the rodent is unclear. But one theory is that it interferes with heart function.
One advantage of zinc phosphide treated oats is that there is effectively zero secondary poisoning. Animals that feed upon animals poisoned with zinc phosphide do not get poisoned. There is, however, one exception. If the predator or scavenging animal eats undigested zinc phosphide treated oats, such as those that might be in the cheek pouches of a rodent, then poisoning can occur. But that situation is actually a form of primary poisoning not secondary poisoning.
If you look at the photo at the right, you will see that zinc phosphide treated oats has a grayish coloration. That is because the oats are treated with an oil and then mixed with the zinc phosphide powder. The oil allows the zinc phosphide to adhere to the exterior of the grain. In contrast untreated oats, has a yellow coloration.
Zinc phosphide treated oats is an important tool for the managing of agricultural rodent pests. However, to use it more effectively keep the following principles in mind.
- Follow the label. Seriously, the label helps you use the product in an effective manner.
- Use when rain is not in the forecast. Zinc phosphide can be washed off or otherwise, removed from the grain by water, so use when conditions are dry.
- If the label says pre-bait, then pre-bait. Zinc phosphide is bitter. Pre-baiting conditions the rodents to feed on the grain so that when they see it again, they gobble it rather than taste it, thereby ensuring a lethal dose.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Where I Have Been?
If you were wondering why I haven’t posted any blog posts in a while it’s because I have been under contract to write a wildlife control manual. My due date is end of April so I have been under the gun. So, no, I have not been out spending all my time enjoying nature. I have been maintaining social distance behind a desk and in my office.
Rest assured I’ll be back soon.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.